Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29079

Hints and tips by the homeless Quasimodo

It’s back to normal here in Downtown LI where we have had an Open Gardens weekend. The whole village was inundated with visitors and the event ran smoothly.

Today’s puzzle went together quite easily with the last few slotting in as the only words that matched the checking letters. Nothing too weird and quite an enjoyable solve.

These hints and tips have been created lovingly to help those of you who may need help to solve a couple of clues or to understand why an answer is what it is. Usually a clue consists of two parts. 1. A definition, which is usually at the beginning or end of a clue. 2. Wordplay which tells what to do to solve the clue. The hints and tips help with the wordplay of the clues. Definitions are underlined.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a French mediator causes noisy quarrel (6)FRACAS: The abbreviation for French is followed by the abbreviation for The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service

4a Uninformed, I admit, about small number (8)IGNORANT: Begin with the letter I from the clue. Find a word which means allow as in to agree that something is true. Once found the word can be split and placed around the abbreviation (small) of number

9a Former model in show (6)EXPOSE: Begin with our regular two-lettered former partner or lover. Add a verb meaning to sit or model.

11a Appalling, the French journal (9)CHRONICLE: A word synonymous with appalling is followed by the French translation of “the”

13a Greek character‘s record covered by Norwegian band (5)ALPHA: If we go way back in time (37 years) and cross the sea to Norway we may discover that Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Magne Furuholmen and Morten Harket, have just formed a band. The name of this band can be wrapped around the abbreviation for the long-playing records that they made. If you want to see this ageing band, they are playing The Royal Albert Hall on Bonfire Night but the gig has sold out. Somebody loves them

14a Behind bars having committed swindle, judge being uncharitable (13)INCONSIDERATE: A word meaning behind bars or in prison contains (having committed) a word meaning to swindle. This is followed by a word meaning to judge.

17a Royal residence listed crown as lost (7,6)WINDSOR CASTLE: Anagram (lost) of LISTED CROWN AS

21a Left donkey attached to old rope (5)LASSO: The abbreviation for left is followed by an alternative name for a donkey which is then followed by the abbreviation for old

23a We, with initial manoeuvring, remain hidden while preparing to attack (3,2,4)LIE IN WAIT: Anagram (manoeuvring) of WE and INITIAL

24a Former Soviet, say, backing one probing agency (8)GEORGIAN: The reversal (bcking) of the Latin Abbreviation for say is followed by I (one) inside an agency

25a Editorialguide (6)LEADER: A double definition. The first being the main article of the day, written by an editor

26a Make dive the American way (8)TURNPIKE: To make something using a lathe. A type of dive where there is a bend at the hips but no knee flexion. In the tuck position, both hips and knees are flexed, and the body resembles a ball.

27a Well-built bouncer finally included in investigation (6)STURDY: The final letter of the word bouncer is placed within a word meaning to investigate in detail

Down

1d Charge way over the odds forwoollen coat (6)FLEECE: A double definition. The second being the woollen coat of a sheep

2d Malicious remark made by a small individual crossing island (9)ASPERSION: we have four parts to this clue. 1. A. Given by the setter. 2. The abbreviation for small. 3. An individual human being. This individual human being surrounds the letter clued at No 4. 4. The abbreviation for island.

3d As in medicines raved over (7)ARSENIC: The word in hints at a lurker. The word over suggests that said lurker is reversed. As is the chemical symbol for the answer

12d Principal to leave car in public place in Manhattan (7,4)CENTRAL PARK: A word meaning at the heart of the matter is followed by a verb meaning to leave your car somewhere. In this case in Manhattan whilst you wander around Strawberry Fields.

15d Boy band’s leader on record (9)ALEXANDER: This boy features as the leader of a ragtime band in Irving Berlin’s first hit of 1911

16d Mean to eat with the Italian towards the end of the day? (8)TWILIGHT: begin with a word meaning stingy or miserly (mean) this word wraps around (eats) the abbreviation for with and the Italian word for the

18d Caretaker getting wind up over omission (7)STOPGAP: A word meaning wind up or cease (trading) sits over a word meaning an omission, space or break in continuity

19d Touching time with rep around noon (7)TANGENT: The abbreviation for time is followed by a representative which sits around the abbreviation for noon

The top half of this puzzle quickly fell into place but the bottom half took a little more time, a **/*** for me. I liked 11a and 14a but thought 15d was very much based on a knowledge of 20th century popular entertainment and not so much fun for younger cruciverbalists. Thanks to the homeless bellringer for the blog. We don’t have a belfry so can’t help you. Thanks to the setter also.

Monday again and still raining!
Somewhere around a **/***, full of good surfaces and an enjoyable start to the week,
Old enough to recall 15d before the bands went out of fashion, like KFB made it my favourite.
Where did our ‘tipper’ get the pseudonym from ? should know him as his face rang a bell.

What an excellent puzzle! Took a little longer than normal for a Tuesday but I found this a very enjoyable solve with 15d and 1a (last in) my favourites. Thanks to the setter for what was, for me, a ***/***** puzzle which I consider the best for sometime!

Frustratingly I was beaten by 24a, though 15d was a bung in as I had no idea of the musical reference…bit naughty I thought. Other than that my only problem was of my own making by spelling 11a incorrectly. When I eventually realised I had it was like a dominoes effect. 2.5/3*
Enjoyable puzzle and review so thanks to the setter and to MP, who I felt sure wouldn’t be able to resist a clip of the band in the wordplay of 13a but alas on reading his comment I see he somehow managed to!

This was solved in a very disorderly way but it all eventually came together with only the SW hanging fire for a bit. Never heard of the 13a band but obvious enough. For some time worked on wrong kind of wind up for 18d. No particular Fav today. Pun is clever with a bit of pronunciation latitude. Thank you Mysteron and MP.

Thanks to the setter and to the wandering bell ringer. I enjoyed this one very much, there were a few to make you think, and plenty of smiles along the way. I started with 1a,which made me laugh. Finished with 15d, which I dredged up from the memory bank. Favourite was 3d, although I’ve seen the definition before, I’ve never seen it clued as a reverse lurker. Was 2*/4 * for me.

We had open gardens in our village yesterday but we chose to go to our daughter’s village of Ickleton where we saw some really lovely gardens. Well done everybody. And thanks for you help with 24a cos I just couldn’t get that.

Many thanks to the setter for an enjoyable solve and to Quasimodo for an excellent blog. As a relative newcomer, could someone enlighten me as to the whereabouts of Downtown LI? Also, with my pedant’s hat on regarding 11a, surely chronic is not a synonym for appalling?

Managed to complete this relatively quickly on the strength of some lucky guesses. So, thanks for the explanations. Anyone know if the “mediator” from 1a has appeared in crossword puzzles before? I need to know this before I commit the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service to memory.(limited space, you know).

**/***. A good start to the week. 15d took me a while to justify my bung in, as did 24a. No real stand outs for favourite although 13a was an aha moment (excuse the pun) once I’d listed the seven possible answers as I knew it ended in “a”. Thanks to all.

I found this quite benevolent but so many were bung ins, I’m quite surprised to find they’re correct. A band called Aha? Really? I’ll have to google.
I’m on the ancient side, so 15d went in quite readily and is my fave.
Thanks to our setter, and a million more thanks to Quasimodo for unravelling so many answers for me.

Don’t really know why but I struggled a bit with this one. 1a was my last in which needed the hint to explain.
Just couldn’t quite get on the right wavelength today.
Never mind, the golf was good as I shot my handicap for once!
Thx to all
***/***

Wasn’t thinking when I finished my original comment – pressed the wrong thingy and now it’s gone.
Here I go again – I thought this was fairly straightforward but got stuck with a few in the bottom left corner.
I did wonder if 1a was fair to non-UK residents.
I had no idea about why my answer for 15d was right but guessed the definition was boy and bunged it in – I know that’s not the best principle but, for once, it worked.
I didn’t know the 13a boy band was Norwegian.
I liked 14a and 1,3 and 16 – any one of those could be my favourite but haven’t had time to decide . . . .
With thanks to today’s setter and to MP.

A very pleasant start to the solving week, good clues some good surfaces & provided genial tea time entertainment,,, no great struggle.
2*/3.5*
Favs were 15d & 14ac, but there was no complaints here.
Many thanks to setter & MP, may he never get the hump!,,, sorry it had to come.

Pleasant romp for a Monday. 11a 15d faves today. The Newcastle 11a was the local paper growing up and 15d is a middle name of mine.
Thanks to Quasipops for the hints and setter for the pizzle. Oops typo I used to know a guy who had a bull’s pizzle walking stick!

Must say I agree with the old Swinger **/*** 😉 But I have a hunch he may have taken the hump 😬 ( other corny remarks are available, but I can’t think of any 🤔) Did not enjoy this puzzle as much as some of the recent Monday puzzles 😳 Possibly because I had a lot of bung ins! Favourites 22d & 26a. Thanks to today’s Setter and to MP 🤗

I had a few bung-ins, but the rest went in quite smoothly in this entertaining start to the week. 15d was my favourite when the penny finally dropped.
Thanks to the setter, and to the homeless one(?) in LI for the review.